Joe Blandino named new athletic director at Sacred Heart High School

View full sizeBryan LittelIn this file photo from 2004, Joe Blandino (far right) posses with the Salvy Blandino-Edgar Joyce Memorial Trophy, which is partially named after his father.

Joe Blandino’s name is well know in Cumberland County for his 37 years at Bridgeton High School as a baseball coach and then athletic director.

He retired after the 2010-2011 school year.

But after just one year off, he is coming out of retirement — kind of.

Blandino has been named the new part-time athletic director at Sacred Heart.

“I’m retired and I enjoy my retirement and grandkids,” Blandino said. “But I love being around kids, had the Bridgeton kids for 37 years. It’s a new challenge that I’m looking forward to, keeping the tradition they have and maybe adding to it.”

The fact that the Lions were only looking for someone to fill the position part-time made it that much easier for Blandino to take the job.

“First of all it was a part time position, if it was full time I probably wouldn’t have been interested,” he said. “They were going in that direction and with my experience and only being out a year, I figured I would see what they had to say. It’s going to be interesting and exciting time for me.”

And the decision to hire him was just as easy for the school.

“Joe’s reputation precedes him,” said Sacred Heart public relations director Francis Reilly. “He’s legendary in Cumberland County as an athletic director and before that as a baseball coach. Considering the circumstances we were looking for a part time AD and that was what Joe was looking to do at this point in his life so it was a perfect fit for both us.

“It’s great to have some one with his pedigree as part of the Sacred Heart community.”

Besides being well known in the area, Blandino is also well known in the league the Lions compete in.

“With them being in the Cape Atlantic League and me still knowing the other ADs and being kind of local, they thought it would work out well for them,” Blandino said. “And maybe give me something to do.”

“We had difficulty in fielding sufficiently large teams mostly because freshman enrollment was so low,” said Reilly. “That enrollment was the reason they made the original announcement to close. We don’t want to sacrifice any sports, and we want to bring back those that previous administrations felt needed to be canceled.”

“I understand enrollment is down and their first priority is to get enrollment up,” added Blandino. “We won’t bring back anything this year, but I would like to see them bring back track and field and field hockey at least. Maybe wrestling, but those two are the first couple to come back if enrollment does come up.”

Accomplishments on the field can help that enrollment, and the softball team helped get that started to end this past school year.

“The girls’ softball team had an amazing accomplishment (winning a state title),” said Reilly. “The coach (Les Olson) and girls did an amazing job when for half the season they didn’t know if the school would stay open. It was a real example of the Sacred Heart spirit and we’re going to build off that championship.”

“If anything, (that title) helps the interest of people to the school, help the enrollment,” added Blandino. “The best way to do that is through the athletic program and I will do my best to sell the program and bring more kids to school and add more programs. That’s the challenge and what makes it exciting for me.”